


Alternate

by Remnant Stars (AerynsFallen)



Category: Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, F/M, Fluff and Angst, I'm a terrible action writer, None of my stories are beta read, People die but it's okay, Rated for Death, Temporary Character Death, brief descriptions of violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-29
Updated: 2017-06-29
Packaged: 2018-11-20 22:11:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11344116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AerynsFallen/pseuds/Remnant%20Stars
Summary: Rating is simply a precaution. If you haven't seen the movie in awhile then you might want a refresher. This is a small collection of prompts I received shortly after posting my first EoT fic.William Cage dies and resets the day with every death. A foray into what might have happened on any one of those resets and what might happen after.





	1. Spend the Night

**Author's Note:**

> I watched Edge of Tomorrow opening day and started writing my first fic the next day. It's one of my favorite movies and I've watched it at least a dozen times. 
> 
> This is the third prompt I was given by an anonymous reviewer named 'Kevin' and I think its my favorite of my Edge of Tomorrow prompts. I wouldn't call it my best by any means but still my favorite. Prompt: A version where Rita does walk away from the helicopter like Cage wanted her to. What happens?
> 
> This occurs after Cage and Rita get to the farmhouse, where she originally dies by starting the helicopter. For me, it was the moment that Cage realized how much he really cared for her and a turning point in the movie. Dialogue from the movie is included. Anything you recognize does not belong to me. I hope you enjoy!

The van they'd found always ran out of gas. But Cage found that the moments they shared on the ride were both enlightening and painful. Rita often refused to speak to him at first. And the few details he painstakingly pulled from her were collected reverently over several such car rides. He found telling her a complete falsehood, making up stories another Rita had told him, got her to open up more. Even if it was to correct any mistakes or call him out on telling her complete the story of her visit to Lyon, or the reveal of her middle name as Peyton. Inevitably she always shut him down.

"Cage, I do not need to get to know you. And if you knew what was good for you, you wouldn't want to get to know me either. It's the only way you'll make it out of this thing."

On this particular reset, Cage chose to leave it at that, stung that she had no interest in him beyond what he could do for her. It was getting harder and harder to remind himself that when this was all over, Rita would walk away without a backwards glance.

After the van finally gave up, they were forced to walk. They'd found a group of buildings, once someone's home with a helicopter sitting conveniently in the back. A helicopter that Cage didn't seem too keen on trying to fly. His suggestion was to siphon the gas, but Rita knew that this was their greatest chance of reaching the Omega. Still Cage protested against her suggestion, making a flippant remark in response to her query of his fear of heights.

"I'm afraid of crashing, and not at all ashamed to admit it."

"You'll be fine Cage. You'll learn."

He wanted to say something else, make another protest, but she winced, her breath hissing out of her mouth in a pained gasp.

"What is it? Let me see."

Rita almost shrugged him away, but she stilled long enough for him to pull back her sweater and see the damage that the Mimic in the trailer had inflicted. She didn't protest as he led her to find something to clean the wound.

As he cleaned her gash, really nothing more than a scrape, though it hurt like a bitch, Rita shifted impatiently.

"We have to find the keys to the helicopter."

Cage seemed hell-bent on ignoring her advice.

"I'm sure we'll find them. Heli's full of fuel, though. I found a hose..." He pointed out, his voice casual. But she could feel the tension in his hands, even as they gently applied the makeshift bandage to her wound. So gently she felt only mild discomfort.

"We're flying Cage." She was ready to move, to find the Omega and finally end this entire thing. She wanted the war to be over. She wanted many things. Hendricks and her parents alive, one of many. But she could never have that. What she could have was revenge, maybe find some semblance of peace. She'd earned that much for herself.

"It's getting dark soon. We might be better off going to the farmhouse." Cage suggested, his voice level but insistent. He really didn't want to get in that Heli.

She smirked. "And curl up by the fire and open a bottle of wine?" Was he really trying to seduce her, or was his fear of flying really that intense? "Ten minutes and then I'm killing you." She chided. She was sore and tired and she figured starting fresh would be better. They now had a way to the Omega at least. What was one more reset?

Cage rummaged around in the shack that might have once been someone's work shed. She almost smiled when he'd pulled out coffee and managed to heat it.

"I can't believe you found coffee." She sighed as she went to grab it from his hand. But then he pulled back, a sudden chagrined awareness crossing his face.

"Three sugars, right?" He dumped them in quickly and offered her the cup, now prepared to her taste.

And then she knew why he was so afraid of the Heli. They'd been here before.

"How many times have we been here?" Cage avoided her gaze. "How many times? Where are the keys?" She demanded, a feeling of betrayal coursing through her as he pulled them out of his pocket. "You can fly it, can't you?"

Cage nodded his head jerkily, his nervous energy turning into desperation before her eyes. "You start that engine, you die." He gestured around them bleakly. "This is as far as you go. This is as far as you ever make it." His eyes pleaded with her. "At the farmhouse, there's a cellar, food. Just wait until I get back. You'll be safe."

"You lied to me." It wasn't exactly truth but it was close enough. He'd hidden so much already, all in some pathetic attempt to keep her here. She strode to the helicopter in quick strides, hopping into the seat as Cage followed her.

"Get your weapon, and get in the helicopter." She demanded.

"You die here!" he insisted with thinly veiled despair. "Right here! I can't save you no matter what I do. If I go on to kill the Omega, you're dead, forever."

She considered for a moment the desperation in his eyes and felt the briefest moment of regret. How had she come to mean so much to this man that she barely knew? Still she needed to hear it confirmed, even if the words would damn them both.

"Why does it matter what happens to me?"

Cage seemed to deflate, his shoulders drooping in resignation. But his eyes, dark with pain, remained on hers. "I wish I didn't know you, but I do." And that one statement said so much more than it should.

It was time to make her decision. Every part of her screamed to start the engine of the helicopter, to force his hand. She wondered why she was still sitting there, staring at Cage as his eyes began to light with what could only be hope. And it was cruel of her, cruel to give him even a moment's hope when he'd already told her how it had to end. But she would have died a thousand more deaths for even one more night with her loved ones. She could give him that at least. Even if what he felt for her was only obsession.

"Okay." She relented.

"You'll wait here?" He smiled but she held a hand up to stall his gratitude.

"I never said that." Rita snorted. "I'm coming with you, and we're flying this helicopter out of here. But we just need to think of some way to kill that Omega without either of us dying."

His face fell once again, but she held up a hand to stall any objections. "And, yes, I'm tired. One night in the farmhouse won't kill me." Wrong choice of words apparently as Cage winced again. Maybe it would, maybe it was the wrong choice to make but she'd made up her mind.

"Thank you." Cage whispered, his frantic desperation turning to relief. He seemed rooted to the spot, his eyes fixed on her face.

There was an awkward silence between them, almost as if Cage had no idea what to do now that she'd acquiesced.

"Shouldn't we move to the farmhouse?" She inquired idly, her entire demeanor changing from anger to numb acceptance. She would not be killing the Omega. Not today, maybe not ever.

He started, his eyes widening. "Yes! Yes, we should." He looked around them, his steps faltering as he seemed uncertain how to proceed. His hands moved idly, his fingers clenching into fists as he watched her step down from her seat.

For a moment, their eyes met and held. Until she gestured towards the house with impatience. "Well, you're the one who knows what's going to happen next. Lead the way."

"I don't." he admitted with a helpless shrug. "I don't know what's going to happen. You've never said yes before."

Rita felt her stomach clench as her nerves reacted to his statement. This would be the first time they were alone, without a destination in mind, without the focus of Mimics in their paths. She shouldn't have said yes, but she felt it was too late to back out now. Her anger had faded, and her emotions were too much of a jumble to understand what exactly she was feeling now.

Cage made the decision to search the house a little further, trying to find something that would at least make the cold cellar floor less uncomfortable. She doubted either of them would be getting much, if any, sleep tonight.

Her shoulder ached so she made no protest to his suggestion to wait for him in the cellar. She sat on a rickety chair and looked around the room, not really taking in anything as she considered what to do next. Should she just agree to his plan to continue on without her? Wait for him to return, if he ever did. Maybe he'd be dead and she would be left waiting in vain, only to have the day reset. She decided then that she couldn't wait. She'd rather be with him if he died, or die by his side if that was what was going to happen. She was a soldier. She'd been one of the first volunteers, before the UDF had Cage willfully recruiting people through the media. And her fight against the Omega had become personal to her.

So now she had to consider how to kill the Mimic that was so close to the helicopter without alerting the other ones waiting in the field. It seemed an impossible task, and she wondered again why she was doing this. Giving Cage false hope instead of just forcing another reset. She picked up the gun she held close at every moment, her eyes tracing it's design. She considered for the briefest moments, simply shooting him when he returned. But it felt like a cowardly thing to do. And a betrayal that he might not get over. How would her actions affect the next reset? She hoped that this would be the last, that even if both of them died the next day, that they would take the bloody Omega with them. It seemed a faint hope now.

Cage's arrival interrupted her thoughts. He carried an armful of old bedding with him, which he unceremoniously dropped to the floor. Somehow, in one hand he carried the coffee she'd abandoned in the shed. He offered it to her with hesitance. Rita's fingers brushed his as she accepted it gratefully. It had gone cold in the short time between their argument and Cage scrounging for usable blankets, but it hadn't been that warm to start off with. She sipped the coffee and watched as Cage spread the blankets out in the corner. He settled himself heavily, his back against the cold cement walls. He noticed her watching him and offered a small smile.

"It's not the Ritz." he commented.

"No, it's not. But I've never been to the Ritz. Have you?"

He nodded absently. "Seems like another life now."

"A better one." she observed.

"I wouldn't say that." Cage smiled. "I would never have asked for this, but I'm here. And I try not to think back on the man I was. The Ritz was beautiful once, but I never really cared for it. I never really appreciated the things I had before the Mimics' appearance stole them all away. I guess I didn't really deserve them."

"And now you do?" Rita questioned with a confused smile.

"I would at least appreciate them now. And I've never really cared about the people I had in my life," he said pointedly. Rita raised an eyebrow as if to say 'oh, really?' Cage hurried to clarify. "My parents are small town people. They could care less about the world outside Cranberry, New Jersey, where I'm from. I always wanted more. And I never visited them enough, always feeling as if it was a nuisance to visit parents I'd always seen as small-minded. Seems like I was the small minded one." He mused. "I'd give anything to see them again. To step through the doors of their small house, a place I'd once loathed. So, I think that I might deserve a bit of indulgence now, more than I ever did before the war."

Rita simply nodded in agreement. She could pass no judgment on the man Cage had been before. She had an idea of who he'd been, but the entire experience with resets had clearly changed him for the better. Maybe their life was hell, but he'd become a better man through it.

"And I got to meet the Angel of Verdun, so that's a bonus." He smirked playfully at her eye-roll.

"I hate that name," she confided.

"Why? You deserve it."

"No, I don't," Rita insisted. "Look at the person you were before versus who you are now. You clearly fight better, and you've killed almost as many Mimics as I did that last day. So if you lose the ability to reset, and they tally the amount of Mimics you've killed, do you suddenly deserve a moniker? What will they call you I wonder? A saint or savior or some other nonsense? We do what we do, are as good as we are because of the resets."

Cage held his hands up in surrender at her fierce tone. "Whatever they call you, whatever label they give you, I hope that I can at least call you friend."

She wanted to laugh at the absurdly sentimental words but she could see from his expression he was serious. His eyes held a hint of vulnerability. _Friends._ It was just a word, but she knew very few people she would ever call a friend. She might call Dr. Carter a friend. He was the only person who'd ever believed her before Cage. To her, they'd only known each other less than two days, was that really enough time to consider him as more than an acquaintance? He'd saved her life countless times today, amused her with his wild speculations of her past, and some part of her trusted him implicitly.

"Yes." she confirmed with a nod. "We're friends."

Cage's smile was lopsided but warm and genuine, and for a moment she wondered what his lips tasted like. She shoved the thought away with horror, wondering if she'd gone insane since waking up yesterday morning. He was attractive, and determined, she wouldn't deny that. But he was still a practical stranger in so many ways.

"So we don't have a fire, but this is a cellar after all." Cage got up and walked to the wine rack that held dozens of unopened bottles. He pulled a few out, reading the labels and placing them back until he'd found one he liked.

"And how are we going to open that?" Rita shook her head and laughed as he pulled a corkscrew from his pocket, waving it at her triumphantly.

"I found this upstairs."

"There just happened to be a random corkscrew lying on one of the beds you pilfered those blankets from?"

Cage shrugged. "In a drawer."

Rita's expression sobered. "I don't think getting plastered the night before we go after the Omega is the smartest idea."

"Who says we need to get drunk? One drink won't hurt." Cage insisted.

"But why drink wine at all?" Rita asked with exasperation, raising her coffee mug as evidence.

"Let me have one drink with a friend before I die."

So Cage thought they were going to die. So did she, and if that wasn't a reason to have a drink she wasn't sure what was. She relented and held out a hand for the bottle, placing her coffee mug on the floor.

"Did you at least find some glasses to drink from?"

Cage grinned and produced two wine glasses, both with small visible smudges. But dirt wasn't going to kill her, a Mimic or the Omega was. She poured their drinks and set the bottle to the side, offering Cage a glass. He took it from her hand, his fingers wrapping around hers for just a moment. It was enough that she felt a twinge of arousal at his proximity. Enough that when he settled back on the blankets she followed. He held her glass as she collapsed beside him, her right side flush against his left as she accepted her glass back and started to sip her wine. They hadn't eaten since that morning, and she didn't want to overdo it.

"Do I always call you Cage?"

"Yes." He confirmed. "You could call me Bill, if you wanted."

"Bill." she tried the name out but he didn't look like a Bill. "Short for William, I presume?"

"Yeah."

"William it is." She took another slow sip of her drink. "So William, how many times have you been through a reset? If you don't mind my asking."

"Feels like thousands, but I'm sure it's barely a hundred."

"I know what you mean." Rita agreed. "But even that is too many. I've seen people die more times than I can remember."

"And Hendricks was one of them." It wasn't a question but Rita bristled at it. She'd told him not to talk of him. She wondered how Cage had ever found out about the man.

"He was." She replied shortly. And Cage seemed to let it go, taking a gulp of his wine. "I wonder how many times you've seen me die." She poked at him, still angry that he'd dared to bring up such a sore point for her. And she knew her death affected him. It was why they were here after all. Here and not him on his way to the Omega and her lying dead at the side of the helicopter outside.

"Too many times." Cage spoke softly, his eyes closing as he seemed to remember one or more of those times. The easiness between them was broken, as Cage was lost to darker thoughts. And Rita regretted the comment instantly.

"Hey." she nudged his shoulder with her own and his eyes opened, staring past her at some point on the cellar wall. "William?" His gaze focused on her, and she could see him visibly shutting those memories away. "I'm sorry William. It was a stupid thing to say."

"I deserved it." He paused. "It was Dr. Carter who told me, not you. I shouldn't have said anything about him. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," she mumbled. It really wasn't. Hendricks was a man she'd fallen for during her resets. A man that she could never get to remember her. He'd died too many times to count, until the point where she went out of her way to save him, and when that didn't work, to avoid him. He'd died at Verdun, that last time, like every time before it. She didn't need to imagine what Cage felt at her death, she knew.

They fell into a silence that lasted several minutes. It wasn't uncomfortable, both lost in their own thoughts, but soon even the single glass of wine she had was making her drowsy, her head resting unconsciously on Cage's shoulder.

"I'll take the first watch," offered Cage quietly. Rita could only nod as she started drifting into sleep. Before she fell entirely, she felt Cage drape a blanket over both of them. It was musty but warm. She smiled, unable to voice her thanks as she lost consciousness.

She awoke to the sound of Cage's breathing. For a moment she was confused, her body lying completely flat on a hard surface despite the blankets. She tried to make sense of the situation, only realizing where she was when she heard the steady pounding of Cage's heart beneath her head. Somehow their positions had shifted drastically. Both of them were lying on the blankets rather than sitting against the wall. Rita's head was resting on Cage's chest, one arm pinned beneath her, the other spread over his stomach, her fist gently gripping his shirt. She shifted, looking up towards his face. One of his arms was pillowed beneath his head, the other one wrapped around her back, holding her to his side. It was intimate, one of her legs wrapped around his, the blanket he'd covered them with kicked to the bottom of their makeshift bed. She felt her face burning as she started to pull away. For a brief second Cage's arm held her to him, almost refusing to let her go before he rolled away from her.

"Why didn't you wake me?" Her voice was hoarse from the dusty cellar.

"I wasn't tired."

"You should still sleep." She refused to comment on how she'd woken up. He hadn't been touching her inappropriately, and it seemed she'd been the one to cuddle up to him.

"I should," Cage agreed. "You'll be okay to stay awake? We should only be a couple hours from sunrise.

"Yeah, I'll be okay William."

He'd put some distance between them, but she suddenly felt like never letting go. The dawn would ultimately mean their deaths, she was sure of it. Her own death at the least. So she locked up the voice that told her what she was doing was cruel, that it would only hurt him in the end. She shifted until her head was once again pillowed on his chest, her arm lying across his stomach and her hand flat against his ribs.

Cage tensed. "What are you doing, Rita?"

"I'm cold." she stated. From the tension in his body she half-expected him to pull away and grab the blankets to put over her. But he didn't. Instead he remained silent, his body slowly relaxing until she heard his breathing slow, his chest expanding under her head with every breath. She watched his face as his jaw slackened and his lips parted.

She didn't know exactly why she did it. She couldn't explain the rush of tenderness she felt watching his features relax as he fell deeper into sleep. She carefully slid upwards, studying him for any sign he was waking up. She held her face above his, gathering her courage before she dropped her lips to his. It was meant to be quick, but her lips lingered, parting so her tongue could dart out a taste him. It was a one-sided kiss and not completely satisfying so she pulled away. His head moved as if to follow hers and she stared at him with sudden fear. Had he woken up? After a few perilous seconds it seemed he'd only been adjusting his position, his face turning towards her and settling. She moved back to her original position, silently scolding herself for taking advantage of a sleeping man, and Cage of all people. Cage who looked at her with tenderness. She would break his heart, she was sure of it.

Before she settled her head back on his chest she caught a glimpse out of the corner of her eye. It looked like Cage smiled. She jerked her head up but his mouth was still parted, his breaths still even, his heartbeat steady. She convinced herself she'd only imagined it.

The next morning, they'd found more coffee and drank it silently side by side. Cage had smiled at her brightly when wishing her a good morning, and Rita wondered if he knew what she'd done. But he didn't say anything, soon starting a conversation about how to get both of them in that helicopter and off the ground without dying.

They'd talked out a plan, and soon both were on their way, Cage being the first out the door to assess the danger. If he was forced to reset, then they would try again. Rita hoped they wouldn't be forced to try again. Even if she didn't remember it, the previous night was unsettling, her emotions tangled and her nerves strung tight with every smile Cage aimed in her direction. He seemed to be in a jovial mood and blamed it on her staying alive for the first time at the farmhouse. She decided to believe him.

Cage put down the Mimic easily and quietly with an ax he'd found on an earlier reset, the alien apparently not expecting an attack. Maybe the extra day had made the difference. Rita waited impatiently at the helicopter, only starting the engine when Cage was racing towards her. She was already taking off when he swung himself into the seat beside her, the noise from the rotating choppers drowned out by the rampaging Mimics heading towards them. But they were already off the ground by the time the Mimics reached them, too far in the air and on their way to kill the Omega.

The flight remained pleasant, if silent. Cage gestured towards certain points of the landscape, Rita nodding to confirm she'd seen what he was pointing out. Cage directed her when she didn't remember which direction to go to. Their hands hung loose between their seats, fingers brushing seemingly by accident. And yet neither of them moved away, even if Rita was risking life and limb by not having both hands on the control column of the helicopter.

It was only when they were within sight of the dam that the small smile that Cage had sported nearly the entire flight faded. Rita's own relaxed expression tightened as she was reminded that they'd reached the end of their journey, probably permanently.

They entered the dam armed with flares, the battle rifle Cage took from his jacket, his Colt and Rita's SIG-Sauer. It was too quiet for either of their liking and they used mostly gestures to communicate with each other. Rita felt adrenaline pumping through her system as they approached the rim of the pit that Cage had seen the Omega in. Cage shot her a glance, his eyes widened in anticipation as they looked into the pit...and found nothing.

They looked at each other in confusion, interrupted by a sudden screech as a Mimic sprang over the edge and collided with them. They flew apart in different directions, Rita hitting the wall hard, and Cage falling backwards, the Mimic springing at him and striking quickly before moving away. Cage was thrown again, twisting in the air before landing heavily on the ground. Rita was on her feet in moments, wincing at the sharp pain in her ankle. It was fractured at the very least. She limped to Cage's side as he got to his feet slowly. They faced the Mimic together, Cage pushing Rita behind him as he stepped forward.

"Finish it!" he shouted.

"Cage, no!" Rita reached for his shoulder, trying to pull him back but he shrugged her off.

"It's over, Rita. The Omega isn't here."

They were only distracted for seconds, but it was enough that they didn't hear the Alpha land behind them. It was enough that Rita was behind him.

Cage turned towards her as the Alpha struck. It was a quick slash, but with enough force that Rita was thrown forwards into his arms. The noise she made was somewhere between a gasp and a cry. Another quick slash and he felt a sharp pain in his side. He looked down briefly to see a large slash in his vest, his skin bared and torn open. He pressed his hand instinctively to his side, his fingers pulling away dripping red. Cage lifted the Colt he had shoved in the waistband of his pants and got off four shots in quick succession, the Alpha forced back. He didn't want to kill the Alpha, simply keep it away long enough for him to assess Rita's injuries. He knew he should reset, but he needed to see Rita. And he needed to know one thing before she forgot.

Cage fell to his knees, Rita cradled in his arms.

"Not again." He murmured. "Not this time."

Rita spoke through clenched teeth. "My fault." She lifted her hand and Cage took it, holding it between both of his. Blood pooled around them, both of their blood mixing on the concrete floor. Cage placed her hand down gently, beginning to feel lightheaded from blood loss. But he needed to know.

"Why did you kiss me?" He asked urgently. "Rita!"

For a moment Rita simply stared at him. She opened her mouth, her voice shaky as she forced the words out. "My middle name...is Rose."

With an anguished cry, Cage lifted his Colt and placed it to his head, pulling the trigger before either Mimic could react.

He woke up gasping, Rita's lifeless eyes burned into his memory.


	2. A Time to Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another prompt from Kevin. Prompt: Cage does not lose the power. After the ambush and car crash in London, they get arrested but Cage doesn't get a transfusion and lose the power. What would happen?
> 
> This was always meant to be more than a one-shot but I had no idea how to continue it without it ending up being terrible.

He woke up in the hospital, his arms and legs strapped to the hospital bed. The nurse was in the middle of inserting an IV into his vein. Cage panicked, twisting and flailing in an attempt to keep the IV from his arm. The bag of blood attached to the IV would only spell doom for their attempts to stop the Omega.

"I'm only trying to give you blood. You need to calm down."

"No!" Cage tested the strength of the restraints holding him down, to no avail. "Where's Rita Vrataski?"

The nurse seemed disconcerted now that he was actually awake. She stepped back, avoiding his gaze as she contemplated what to do.

"Please, just tell me. Is Rita Vrataski still alive?"

"I'm not supposed to talk to you." the nurse asserted. "If you're not going to be uncooperative, then I'll have to get someone to hold you down. I'm only trying to help."

"Thank you." Cage tried for diplomacy. "But I'm sure I don't need the blood."

"It's my job." The woman frowned at him, shooting him a glare and making it clear she wouldn't be helping him otherwise.

Cage wondered what they'd told the woman. "Please, at least tell me if Rita Vrataski is okay? The woman I was with?"

"I'm sorry, I have to go." The woman turned on her heel and left the room without another word.

Cage began struggling against his restraints in earnest, rocking the bed in hopes of escaping. All that accomplished was tipping the bed over entirely until he was still strapped in and facing the floor. A set of footsteps let him know that he'd been caught and he hung his head in resignation. He'd never get to Rita, or force another reset at this point.

He glanced over as the person leaned down to see him, smiling in relief when he realized it was actually Rita herself, coming to rescue him.

"I was out of those things in three minutes flat, Cage. What's wrong with you?"

"I thought you were dead."

Rita grinned. "Not yet." She flipped the bed over and pulled out a knife. "Sorry Cage."

And he watched in grim resignation as she swung the blade down, feeling only a sharp pain as she angled the blade and stabbed him cleanly between the ribs, hitting his heart. The blade twisted and he let out a gasp, the pain dimming his vision at the edges as he focused on the tearing ache. He closed his eyes and felt himself begin to fade. His heart had been pounding in joy when he'd seen Rita, and so he figured his death would be quick. He tried to breathe, but the pain in his chest had become a burn that stole the breath from his lungs.

"I'm sorry Cage." Rita's repeated last words faded slowly to the blood rushing in his ears, lost to the pain in his chest as the room went dark.

He woke up as usual, adrenaline rushing through his veins as he realized that they were ready to face the Omega finally, and they had a chance to win with the knowledge they'd learned. The only concern that they had to worry about was if the Omega had been aware of the thin connection that Cage had established for those tremulous seconds.

He felt different in a way. It wasn't simply the adrenaline that had him in a perpetual flight or fight state of mind. It was as if his mind was clearer, his focus sharper. He thought of Rita and he could hear her voice in his head apologizing. But there had been nothing to apologize for. This was it. They were going to defeat the Omega, he could feel it. And he was ready for it.

He went through the motions with Sgt Farrell, barely listening as the man spoke of redemption. William was about to earn his own redemption, felt that he'd earned it a dozen times over perhaps. He greeted J Squad with a perfunctory nod, hiding their gambling from Farrell with a flick of the wrist. On their run around Heathrow he was silent until it was time to act, simply listening to the trash talk around him with a sardonic twist of his lips. He was going to miss these guys, even if he was nothing more than a stranger and deserter in their eyes.

When he finally came face to face with Rita again he smiled at her scowl. He tugged her into a forced embraced, laughing as her confused irritation turned into full blown anger. She shoved him away and swung at him with a growl. He'd never been here, had no way of knowing it was coming, but he knew Rita Vrataski as well as he knew himself. He knew her reactions, her thought process, had earned her ire on several different occasions so he was ready. He deflected her swing and called her name, the same smile still plastered on his face.

"Rita! I know where the Omega is!"

She went from anger to bewilderment, her fists dropping as she stared at him with her mouth dropped.

"Did you hear me?" Cage didn't care that there were people watching. He was burning with nervous energy, high on the sight of Rita, beloved Rita who had no idea who he was. Rita, who he was madly in love with at this point. And he finally realized how much he didn't care if anyone knew it, not even the woman herself.

Rita seemed flabbergasted, staring at him with dawning suspicion as she took in the soldiers watching them with vigilant expressions. She waved them away carelessly and they scattered, eager to obey the war hero.

There were too many thoughts running around her head, too many emotions jumbled into a knot around her heart. She had no idea who the hell this man was. And yet he greeted her as an old friend might, or a lover. He looked at her with open adoration and anticipation and spoke words that made no sense to anyone but her. But how did he know? Unless...

"You can reset." She stated coldly, as she worked to compartmentalize all the feelings that were racing through her.

The man's exuberant smile dimmed, but he nodded and grabbed her hand. Her first instinct was to pull away, maybe take another swing at him just to prove a point. He couldn't touch her whenever he wanted, no one could. And yet, she let him lead her. And he led her to Dr. Carter, to the weapons repair room that they used as their base of operations. Carter was as oblivious as she was as the man practically vibrated with manic energy.

"Rita! What are you doing here? You can't just show up-"

"She's with me." the man spoke quickly, as if he couldn't get the words out fast enough. "I'm like her. You have two fingers behind your back, and I found the Omega!"

"Who are you?" Rita interrupted with an angry demand.

The man stilled for a second, his eyes widening as if he'd just remembered that he'd never given either of them his name.

"Sorry, Rita, Dr. Carter. My name is William Cage. I met Rita for the first time on the beach tomorrow." he raised a hand to stall Rita's words. "No need to say it, it's a slaughter. I started having the dreams a few dozen resets ago and we followed them to where we thought the Omega would be. It was a trap, it wasn't there. So we came up with a plan to get the device Dr. Carter created from Whitehall. We got it on the last reset and used it but we were caught and Rita killed me so I would reset. Now I know where the Omega is, and we need to go kill it."

"What the hell is going on?" Dr. Carter demanded. "Rita?" He turned to her, his face flushed red as he gestured to Cage. "You bring this man here, for what?"

Rita had a frown on her face, an arm across her stomach, her other elbow resting in her cupped palm as she stroked her chin in thought. Her eyes went from Cage's scuffed boots to his dark eyes, eyes that were pleading with her to believe him. She did. How could she not? But she was trying to figure out what to do next. They were going to kill the Omega tonight, perhaps in a matter of minutes they would be on their way. But this man, Cage, was staring at her with far more emotion then she'd ever inspired in anyone. He was unsettling her, first with his random embrace that had thrown her off, and his frantic mumbling on their way here. He'd been mumbling about the Omega, and Mimics and she'd heard her name more than once. Was he even sane?

"How many times have you reset?" She finally asked. "How many times have we met?"

Cage frowned, waving the question away impatiently. "Why does it matter? We need to come up with a plan!"

"And we will," conceded Rita, "But I first need to know if I can trust you."

"Trust me?" Cage laughed incredulously. "Of course you can! I've met you over a hundred times, watched your back, watched you die, had you kill me more times than I can get straight in my head. I know you Rita! I know you better than anyone." He stared at her with an intensity that left her unnerved but she refused to look away.

"Prove it."

Cage snorted. "We don't have _time_ for this Rita." At her narrowed eyes, he threw up his hands in exasperation. "Fine!" He started to pace, his fingers running through his hair as he thought on what to say, what to reveal. He started simple. "Your name is Rita Vrataski, you're a Sergeant in the United Defense Force. You're twenty-nine years old. But anyone that's been watching the news could tell you that. You fight primarily from your right side, and prefer blades and melee weapons to guns. You could still shoot a Mimic without missing from twenty yards away. You're parents died in one of the first Mimic attacks, which led you to be one of the first volunteers when the war started. You have a younger brother you haven't seen in months, as he's safe somewhere far from the fighting. Your middle name is Rose, you've never been to Lyon, and you loved a man named Hendricks before he was killed at Verdun." He stopped, breathing heavily as he waited for her reaction.

Dr. Carter was staring at them with a dumbfounded expression, his gaze flitting from one person to the other as he waited for Rita's reaction.

It was quick, and surprised them both. Cage didn't flinch as she came at him, ready to accept any punishment, despite her demand to reveal what he knew. He was shocked when her hands gripped his face tightly and pulled him close, her mouth meeting his. For only a few seconds he was in heaven as her tongue tasted him, his arms wrapping around her instinctively.

She pulled away too soon, a smile on her face as she turned away from him. "You're right, we need to come up with a plan."

Cage was still standing in place, his eyes glazed as he recovered from her kiss. "What was that for?" he asked dumbly.

Rita turned towards him with a rueful smile. "I'm gonna be furious with you later for invading my privacy so blatantly but right now I'm going to thank you. Thank you Cage, for finding the Omega and including me in your plan to go after him."

Cage nodded, his eyes narrowing as he focused. "We need to get there by tonight and kill the Omega before anyone ever gets to the beaches. Like I said, it's a slaughter. You were right when you said tomorrow was the Mimic's end game, not ours, Rita."

Rita tilted her head in confusion for a moment, and realized he was talking of another encounter. So she simply nodded in agreement. "So how are we going to get there? And are we even going to be able to do this alone?"

Cage frowned. "The only way to get there relatively quickly without much resistance on the Mimic's part is to fly in."

"And where are we flying?" Rita asked in exasperation.

"Paris. The Omega is in the parking garage below the Louvre. We need to get in there and blow the place up. But we'll need help, a lot of it if this has any chance of working."

Rita nodded once but she was frowning. "And who would be crazy enough to follow us?"

Cage smirked. "I wouldn't expect anyone to follow _me._ "


	3. Alternate Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the first ever prompt I completed for Kevin. Who am I kidding? All of my EoT prompts were from the anonymous reviewer named Kevin. He's great. Thanks Kevin!  
> This one is a two-parter and I combined two prompts for it. 
> 
> Prompt 1: What would it be like if Rita killed the omega, not Cage? How would she contact him?
> 
> I'm really terrible at thinking up titles so I tend to keep them short an unoriginal. I named the collection after this prompt title and I'm too tired to rename it.

The ceiling around them was threatening to fall down on their heads while they took a moment to decide what to do. Her leg was badly injured, and they were both exhausted. It was the final moments before their deaths, and they would have to separate. The Alpha Mimic was closing in and only one of them would make it to the Omega. Not that she hadn't expected something like this several times over already. She'd never thought both of them would ever make it even this far. She could see the desperation on his face and felt a moment of sorrow for both of them.

"I'm going to draw that thing away. You go and kill the Omega." Cage's voice was slightly out of breath, but she could see the determination pushing past the desperation.

Rita nodded tersely. The only other option was for her to lead away the Alpha. With her leg injury, it would be impossible.

"You and I both know that with my leg I wouldn't get ten feet." She smiled painfully. "So it looks like we'll go with your plan. I'll take the grenades."

She held her hand out for them but he held them close, realization dawning on him. The grenades would blow, killing her and the Omega. She could see his hesitation.

"Listen to me, neither one of us is making it out of here." The grief threatened to overwhelm her as he nodded once, anguish shining in his eyes. She held out her hand, cradling his face in her palm for just a moment. "Thank you, for getting me this far." She felt a sharp stab of remorse at the bitter twist of his mouth. The irony that she was thanking him for bringing her to her death. "You're a good man, Cage. I wish I had the chance to know you better."

It would be the last moment she touched anyone, as her hand slid to the back of his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. She could read the anguish on his face and wished for just a moment that they'd met at another time, in another life. He tasted of sweat, his lips chapped against hers. But she clung to him for a precious second, her tongue sliding against his too briefly. And then he was tearing himself away, leaving the grenades in her hands as he ran from her side.

The Alpha was behind him in an instant, in it's haste, never realizing it had left someone behind. She saw her chance and took it, refusing to look in Cage's direction, to see his death confirmed. Her body was on fire, pain forcing her to stumble her way across the ground littered with concrete and debris. She focused on the pool of water with the light shining from it. She needed to reach the water. Blood pounded in her ears, but above it all she heard him.

Rita heard Cage's brief yell, a strangled sound meant perhaps to be his final warning to her. She couldn't stop herself from pausing before she jumped, a glance to her right confirming her worst fears. Cage was gone, the Alpha now aware of her presence and bearing down on her with immense speed. She dove without thought, the cold water a shock as she briefly collided with fallen debris. Then she was swimming, down towards the twisting, writhing mass within the light. Whatever the Omega was, wherever the Mimics were from, they would die here. And she would die with them. She pulled the pins on the grenades just as the Alpha caught up, piercing her back with a death blow. But she was conscious enough to drop the grenades, the pins floating down after them.

She was floating, her body turning her back to the Omega and watching the Alpha's final reaction of outrage. She could hear his angry roar with waterlogged senses, but everything was becoming dim. The pain in her chest and leg disappearing with the rest of her senses. The burn in her lungs encompassing her final moments as she lost consciousness to a bright flash behind her eyes and an enormous pressure against her back. Rita Vrataski knew no more.

She woke up on what should have been the day of her final fight. But she remembered everything. William Cage, the first death he'd described by an Alpha, the search for the Omega, and more importantly their final moments. The grief, regret, the wish for another chance. A chance that had been granted somehow. She was paralyzed in her bed with a sudden indecision. Did Cage remember her? Did she want him to? The answer was a selfish but resounding yes.

It took some time, longer than she would have believed. She expected him to seek her out. So for the first few days she waited, tensed for his voice as she went through the motions. She had to fake her puzzlement at the sudden death of the Mimics. She was shoved in the spotlight immediately after it was verified that the Mimics had, for whatever reason, shut down or disappeared. There was speculation that they'd abandoned the planet, after realizing that humans would not give up their planet without a fight. They crowed over their own strength, humankind's narcissism saddening her. Their planet was saved, but the real reason was lost. No one would have believed her even if she'd told the story. But she'd become the poster child, the "Angel of Verdun" scaring the aliens into self-destruction. It was simply another form of propaganda and she wanted no part of it.

After days passed, she began to worry that Cage had forgotten, for whatever reason. Perhaps it was because she'd killed the Omega that only her memories remained. The thought almost devastated her, realizing that she was alone in the world. She'd made inquiries about him, with generals and politicians, anyone that might know anything about him. In the spotlight, anyone that mattered treated her with respect, praised her and showed their gratitude. Behind the scenes she was simply another pawn, unworthy of notice. And her inquiries remained unanswered or stonewalled, almost as if they didn't want her to ever meet William Cage.

Rita considered going to the United States to continue her search. The small knowledge she'd gleaned from their final days spent together was pitiful. She'd had to hack into his file to get even a permanent address. Perhaps she'd once known everything there was to know about him, and if the memories they'd lived through had been shared she might know where to find him. But whatever knowledge she might have been told, whatever small intimacies they'd shared were all lost to her. She knew his name was William Cage, a Major in the United States military. She knew that he was like her, resetting the day with every death. She knew his eyes were brown, that his smile was crooked, that his determination was fierce and borderline obsessive. She knew that his ability against the Mimics rivaled hers. What she'd learned had only made her eager for more. And now that she was given the chance she wasn't willing to quickly abandon the opportunity.

She'd booked her flight, at the protestation of her new 'personal adviser', hired for her by the UDF. She'd ignored his angry blustering as she packed her bags. She was staying at a five star hotel paid for by the UDF while she looked for a permanent residence. She'd almost refused the generous severance they'd given her for her exemplary service to her nation. She felt it was a payoff, a reminder that once her fifteen minutes of fame had died down she was to fade inconspicuously into the background. But she needed to survive and with a face as prominent as her, she wondered what work she would be able to get without being harassed.

It was when he mentioned William's name that she froze, her reaction making him suddenly eager to spill.

"Yes, William Cage! I understand the two of you have never met? But the campaign for more recruits featured your victory at Verdun rather heavily. And Major Cage was one of the biggest reasons that men and women signed up in droves. Charismatic, witty, persuasive. It's no wonder he made a killing as an ad executive before the war. He'll be the other special guest on the show that you seem determined to skip."

Rita canceled her flight, booked an extended stay at the hotel and dismissed her 'adviser' so she could prepare herself. Her stomach was in knots, the anticipation causing equal reactions of elation and the need to vomit. She would be face to face with Cage again. And she would have no time to track the man down before the show, already running late. If he recognized her, it would be in front of millions of viewers, under the harsh light of publicity. What would she do if he recognized her? What would she do if he didn't?

She barely made it to the studio on time. There were grumbles of complaints from the make-up artist as she hastily worked on Rita's face. Rita knew she probably looked horrible. Night after night of restless sleeping and a general disregard for her personal appearance did that to you. Not that she looked sloppy, simply tired and completely free of any cosmetics. She was lent a dress, a red one that clung to her curves and showcased her cleavage. She wanted to wear something over it but before she even realized she was shoved towards the stage, almost stumbling in her heels as she walked onto the stage. The lights were bright in her eyes, and she closed them for just a second, brought back to the moment of her death. She focused on the sounds of cheering that surrounded her, trying to convince herself the loud noise was nowhere similar to the sound of the Alpha or following explosion. She had to swallow hard as she reopened her eyes, wishing that Cage would offer support.

Because there he was. William Cage, dressed in a suit sans the tie, his collar open at his throat. Her heart was in her throat as she made eye contact, waiting for his reaction. He smiled politely at her, rose from his seat and kissed her gently on the cheek when she approached him. There was the initial introduction, as he told her how pleased he was to finally meet the hero. But all she felt was numbness, as she responded with a quiet hello. He didn't seem to recognize her. His eyes were watching her with a faint concern, but he was smiling amiably. For the duration of the interview she tried to remain focused on the man who was interviewing her. But it was hard. Her heart was breaking, piece by piece, as she watched Cage being a man she'd never met. Just as her adviser had said. He was charismatic, charming the crowd with a few anecdotes. He was witty, ushering a surprised laugh from the host as he subtly poked fun at the General. He was so persuasive that he'd convinced her that the Cage she knew, who'd become the best man she'd ever known, no longer existed. He seemed to fit perfectly in this world, of timed responses, and the thinly veiled script she'd been coached on briefly in the back. What not to talk about, what she was allowed to talk about, how long she could speak. It made her sick, and yet he seemed to soak the attention up, covering for her lack of communication with ease.

Finally, even the host seemed concerned by her one word responses. "Rita, are you okay? You seem to be a little tired."

And there was her cue to laugh it off, to smile winningly and claim that she just wasn't used to the spotlight. She might have said it, but something else popped from her mouth, to her own horror.

"I'm sorry but when I first came in, the light and noise, caused a flashback to my de- to one of the times I almost died." It was truth, but not all of it. How had she let that slip from her mouth?

And there was silence. From the audience, from the host, from Cage who was staring at her with abject horror. She laughed awkwardly and apologized again, and the host seemed to snap out of his confusion.

"Oh my. We seem to forget that despite our victory, there are still wounds to heal." The man was genuinely sympathetic, perhaps the first true emotion she'd seen him display. He talked briefly of the sacrifice of soldiers and it was only Cage that could lighten the mood again.

After her lapse she made certain to smile, to laugh, and to answer the few questions directed at her with some thought. And all seemed to be forgiven, except Cage now watched her. She could feel his eyes on her the rest of the interview. Even when he was talking to the host, he was watching her. People would brush it off as concern on his part, or perhaps an attempt to keep her in the conversation. But she could see that he was trying to read past the wall she'd erected after her blunder.

She was happy when the commercial break came around, and it was time for the next guest to come on stage. She was ready to leave, to go back to her hotel room and stuff herself with chocolate. She barely glanced at Cage as he helped her to her feet and led her to the back. She pulled away without responding to his softly-spoken 'it was nice to meet you' and dashed off to the dressing room, closing the door sharply behind her.

Rita sat down in front of the mirror, taking time to wipe off the make-up they'd slathered onto her. She looked like a stranger, someone beautiful and self-assured, when she simply felt lost. When her face was clear she felt a little better, and when she'd changed back to a shirt and jeans she felt like herself. She pulled the pins out of her perfectly coiffed hair and rearranged it. Just as she picked up her bags to leave there was a knock at the door. She figured it was someone coming to tell her they needed the room so she opened the door with an apology on her lips. The apology died as she came face to face with William Cage.

"Can I come in?"

She nodded mutely, stepping back so he could move past her. She closed the door behind him, something urging her to lock it. He raised an eyebrow at the gesture and she shrugged. She had no idea what he wanted from her, but she needed time alone with him without interruption.

She leaned back against the door, looking for support at her weakened knees. He looked good, the suit replaced by a dark shirt and faded jeans. His hair was messy, as if he'd run his fingers through it and the dark circles under his eyes mirrored her own.

He stared at her, his expression unreadable as his gaze swept from her scuffed shoes to the messy bun she'd put her hair into. It was unnerving to be the focus of his attention, not knowing if he remembered even a moment of their shared time together. After the heavy silence lasted for a couple minutes she spoke.

"Do I have something on my face, Cage?"

He flinched visibly at her words, for a moment anguish clear to read in his eyes. It gave her hope. She'd said that to him in the past, she was certain of it. Or something similar if his reaction was anything to go by.

"Cage?" Her eyes pleaded with him to answer truthfully. "Have you ever met me before today?"

He stepped back from her, his head ducking down. "No. Why would you ask something like that?"

But she could see his confusion, and realized that maybe his memories were not as complete as her own. "Cage, do I seem familiar to you?"

"Familiar?" He looked at her and nodded once. "Like I've met you before a hundred different times. In my dreams I watch you die a hundred deaths, and I _know_ you even if it makes no sense. I know you grew up on a farm. I know your family was killed by Mimics. I know your middle name is Rose! How the hell would I know that?" He thrust his fingers in his hair with one hand and hit the vanity table with his fist. "Rita Vrataski, the 'Angel of Verdun' was only a name to me a few weeks ago. But now...when I watched you walk onto the set, I could see that it disoriented you. I wanted to help you, to protect you. And to see you in that dress, it felt wrong. You fit the image I have in my head of you right now, and maybe that makes sense. You can't fight Mimics with a dress, but it feels more like a memory than something I should simply know. To see the dark circles under your eyes seems right, and what kind of person does that make me?" He looked her straight in the eye. "I want to kiss you right now, and I don't think it would be the first time, would it?"

Rita shook her head. "No, it wouldn't." And it couldn't be the last one. Not when he was starting to remember. How long had he been confused? "Why didn't you look for me?"

"Because it's crazy." he stated simply. "Because the things I dream about don't make sense. I'm an ad exec, not a soldier. I've never fought a war or killed a Mimic. I've never led a team or used a jacket and I've never loved you." The last was said uncertainly, as if he wasn't sure if he spoke the truth. Rita wanted to cry, his feelings confirmed even as he tried to deny them. She'd wondered these past few weeks how deep his feelings for her went. Now she knew, and it hurt far more than she expected it to.

"You're not crazy, Cage. And neither am I. We lived this, together. I don't remember everything you do, but I remember the last time. You led me to the Omega, sacrificed yourself so I could kill it. You're a good man Cage, and we've been given a second chance." she hesitated. "I'd like the chance to get to know you better. It was my final wish."

Rita waited for his response anxiously. Would he reject her claims? Would he walk away believing that both of them were simply crazy?

She watched him walk towards her, sighed as his hands gripped her shoulders and pulled her close. He didn't kiss her as she'd thought he might. He simply enveloped her in a tight hug, pressing his face against the side of head.

"Thank you, Rita."

"For what?" she wondered aloud.

"For being braver than I am. For giving me my sanity."

She smiled. "I never said you were sane, simply not crazy. What sane man takes on the Omega with only a few soldiers behind him?"

Cage laughed, the first genuine laugh she'd heard from him of the night. "But I had you beside me, so we were guaranteed to win. If you could kill me without blinking, the Omega was easy in comparison."

"Did I really kill you?" Rita cringed as Cage pulled away and nodded.

"Someone had to. You knew it, I knew it. It still sucked." He dropped a quick kiss on her forehead. "But I'm glad it was you."

Rita nodded, shoving the guilt she felt down deep. Cage didn't seem to be bothered by it. And she figured the simple deaths she'd inflicted were probably better than the hundreds of deaths she remembered that were painful, bloody, and not always quick.

"So what now?" Cage asked her.

"Now, we go to my hotel room, and you can tell me exactly how you know so much about me. There wasn't time, that last day for you to fill me in. And I'm curious."


	4. Alternate Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And this is the last of them. I have a couple WIP prompts that i never got around to finishing, also from Kevin. I hope to one day add them to this collection. 
> 
> Prompt: The time after he meets Rita, at the end of EoT, how he tells her the story of it all. He tells her about how they killed the omega, the beach, the farmhouse, how does he explain it all to Rita so she can know what they went through together?

It started out awkwardly. Cage was tense, pacing her floor and shooting her looks that were indecipherable. Rita was seated on a loveseat, her fingers drumming impatiently against the arm. She'd offered him a drink already, or to order something. He'd refused, and now she was waiting for him to gather his thoughts. To find a way to tell her of the past they'd shared, one only he remembered.

"Well?" Patience had never been her greatest virtue.

"Sorry," he muttered. "I just need a second. Sometimes, I forget what's real, what I've only imagined. Especially since I thought I was going crazy until tonight."

Rita felt remorseful. She understood that when you lived the same day so many times the memories started to blur together, moments overlapping in your mind. It was hard for her to sort out the fighting at Verdun. She could never remember how many Mimics she'd actually killed. A thousand? A hundred thousand? They said it was over a hundred, but that was one day. And those deaths were ultimately insignificant to her. She'd woken up in the hospital expecting to have the day reset. She hadn't paid attention to the details of her last reset. It hadn't seemed to matter at the time, nothing had.

"Take your time," Rita relented. "We've got all night. We've got the rest of our lives." She laughed shortly at the absurdity of that statement. It was truth, yet it seemed like a lie. How many times had she found herself in bed, expecting to wake up to preparations for Verdun? She was certain Cage had experienced the same, of whatever situation he'd once reset to.

Cage's crooked smile said he understood the irony. He nodded to her, his gaze becoming distant as he thought back. He sat on the loveseat beside her without realizing, and started to speak.

"The first time I saw you was moments before your death." Rita's hands clenched, but she otherwise didn't react. She'd known, deep down that the fight at the beaches would be a slaughter.

"How did I die, that first time?" she probed.

"Like so many times after. It was quick, the Mimic seeming to appear out of nowhere and taking you down before you had time to react. I still dream of your eyes that day. Empty, glassy, lifeless. That death was both the hardest, realizing that even the 'Angel of Verdun' was no match for the Mimics, and also the easiest because I didn't know you yet. I didn't care if you lived or died. I cared only about my own survival at this point." The guilt was heavy in his voice but she understood the feeling.

"It's okay, Cage. My first day at Verdun I watched so many people die around me and I was numb to it, hoping only that I would live to see the day end. It's instinct, to survive at all costs, even as people lay dying around you."

He nodded at her assessment, then hesitated. "Could you call me William? Or Bill? We never got past 'Cage' in any reset. It seems important now."

Rita wrinkled her nose at calling him Bill. He didn't seem like a Bill. "William it is. Did you call me Rita, then?"

"Not at first." he admitted with a shrug. "It was Sergeant Vrataski, and after I became familiar with you, then I started to call you Rita. You didn't seem to mind." He looked ready to apologize but she stalled him with a raised hand.

"It is my name, after all. I'm sorry I never called you by yours. Getting close to someone seemed pointless to me. Names matter, and I was unwilling to invest myself in getting to know anyone." Her apology was genuine, regret at what he must have felt overwhelming her. She'd been impatient with him that last day, eager for everything to be simply over and done with. She'd never been oblivious to the way he'd looked at her, his eyes following her every movement. She just forced herself to ignore it.

"How bad was the beach?"

"Bad," he admitted with a wince. "The plane I was on got hit, and I witnessed the first few people die, ripped away and before they even realized what had happened. I was never able to save them." He mused sadly. "I was the last to drop to the ground and to say I was disoriented would be a major understatement. It was chaos, planes falling out of the sky, people dying around me. I witnessed a member of J-Squad, the unit I was assigned to, get crushed by a plane only a moment later as he yelled defiantly at the Mimics. I saved him too many times to count, the plane landing on me so many times until I got it right." He laughed at that, and Rita giggled as well, the image funny despite how horrible a death it would have been.

William paused, his smile widening briefly. "I've never heard you giggle like that." Rita ducked her head self-consciously. "It's nice." He continued on. "There was your death, and I remember being horrified. My only thought had been that I was sure to die. I didn't know how to turn the safety off on my weapons so I stumbled around, following J-Squad in hopes that there would be safety in numbers. I was wrong. They hid in the sand, and were on us before anyone could really react. The rest were dead, and I was still trying to turn the safety off. Then there was the Alpha."

"He's almost beautiful to look at," Rita said softly. "The blue and the fluid way he moves. It's sad that they only wanted to kill us all."

"Beautiful or not, all I felt was dread seeing him, knowing that he was somehow different. They gathered around him, the other Mimics, almost as if they were waiting for orders. Then he sensed me and it was over. I killed him, and his blood splashed all over me. I died in burning agony, the coward in me wondering why I'd joined the military at all."

"It's okay to be afraid." Rita soothed him with a stroke of his shoulder. "I was always afraid whenever I faced a Mimic. It never got easier, but I did become resigned to it."

Cage shook his head. "You were always braver than me, stronger. I couldn't have done it without you."

Rita tilted her head. "Then how did we meet?"

"I saved you a few times, and I got better at anticipating where the Mimics would be. You seemed to realize what was happening as I directed you when to stop or continue, told you what was going to happen next. You told me to look for you when I woke up, refusing to follow so we both died together."

"Sounds like something I would do," Rita conceded. "It seems like it would have been pointless to continue on at the beach."

William nodded. "It was. I found you the next reset. You were not happy to see me."

"I was rude." It wasn't a question on Rita's part. She remembered enough to know that at least.

"Maybe. But you listened, and you believed me right away."

"It's not something you can make up." Rita shrugged. "Though many people thought I did. I told you not to tell then?"

"Yes, you did." William shifted uncomfortably. "How bad was it, when they locked you up, or...dissected you?"

Rita waved the question off. "I promise to share my horror stories with you later. Right now I need to hear your story, okay?"

"Okay. You trained me then. I still have phantom pains in my back from how many times I was thrown against the wall." He grinned. "I'm sort of glad you shot me, even if I wasn't at the time. Saved me from the recovery period."

"I didn't just kill you, I shot you?" Rita stared at him in horror.

"I needed to reset. Couldn't beat the Omega with a broken back or leg. You were very professional about it, like a contract killer. I never felt a thing." He was teasing her and he was glad to see the guilt replaced by indignation as she slapped him playfully.

"Okay, I see the point. And it shouldn't surprise me. I was willing to do anything to kill the Omega."

William squeezed her shoulder before he continued. "Maybe, but so was I. The fate of the world was on our shoulders, and I needed to be better. You helped me become the man I wasn't." His hand dropped from her shoulder. "I started to get the dreams, and you decided that training was over. So we tackled the beach. It wasn't the most fun I've ever had. But we eventually got past it. It took a couple dozen tries as we figured out how to move past the hidden Mimics. From there it wasn't exactly smooth sailing, but we managed it fairly easily. We found a car, drove for miles to reach the dam the Omega was showing us. We talked." He frowned. "I learned more about you in a dozen trips on that road then I did any other time. And you were never willing to say much, but I coaxed it out of you, piece by piece. I wish you could remember it."

"I wish I could too." Rita rested her head against his shoulder, offering comfort and taking some for herself as well."

"And then there was the farmhouse." William looked anguished, and for a minute he didn't talk, lost in memories.

"The farmhouse?" She prompted, if only to bring him back to her.

"I fell in love with you on that car ride. And at that farmhouse it made your death seem so much worse. I couldn't save you no matter how many times I tried. And after awhile I gave myself away. You were hurt and I cared for you. We found coffee and I made it just how you liked it. You became suspicious and I gave too much away. In the end you ran toward your death, and I couldn't stop you."

It was almost too much, the maelstrom of emotions his story wrought from her. She understood grief as much as he did, and she knew that whatever she'd decided in that moment, it had been cruel but perhaps necessary. She couldn't apologize for something she was certain she would have done again. So she wrapped an arm around his shoulder and remained silent. Until he could pull himself from the grief that was still so prevailing.

"I told you that I wished I'd never met you. And it was the truth. I felt so much, when you clearly felt nothing. I loved you, and yet I was just a means to an end. I hated it, so I left you behind and went after the Omega by myself." He stated it simply, not trying to goad a reaction only stating a fact and moving on.

"But you didn't find it." Rita prompted. There was so much they still needed to overcome. She didn't love him, not yet, but she thought she was already half-way there. But that would have to wait, until he told her the rest.

"No," William confirmed with a frustrated sigh. "It was a trap, the dreams meant to lure me so they could steal my blood and end my resets. I killed the Alpha that waited for me, and then myself. But we were essentially back to square one. And despite my resolution to leave you out of it, I needed you. When I woke up, I found you for the final time. You know the rest."

William grew silent, perhaps reflecting on what he'd told her, how much he'd admitted. She felt she owed it to him to tell her own feelings on the matter. She didn't feel like she had to love him, though it would be cruel for him to go through so much for her sake only for her to reject him. But now that she knew much of the full story, she found falling for him was made so much easier. He was tortured by the decisions he'd made, but no matter the cause, he was now a greater man. And he loved her. Despite his declaration, he didn't seem to expect the feeling in return. He'd stated it simply, as a truth that he couldn't deny. And despite the awkward tension it might have caused, she'd asked him for the full truth.

"What you've been through is more than the world should ask from any man. It's more than anyone should have to endure. But you came out of it a better man. And you saved us all in the process. I still can't see how I deserve your love, and I can't say that I return your feelings." His shoulders slumped, but William seemed resigned, rather than heartbroken. "But I could, given the chance."

He pulled away so he could see her face clearly. He stared hard at her, looking for any sign of pity "Could you?"

"Yes," Rita spoke confidently. How could she not love him? She would never find a man like him, ever. And he already understood so much about her, and accepted her without question.

She kissed him before she had a chance to change her mind and found that he tasted the same. His lips weren't chapped or dry and it was better. Better than a desperate kiss that was borne from gratitude. He clung to her, tugging her closer until she was almost in his lap. And it was right. It felt like coming home.

William pulled away with the greatest reluctance, his forehead resting against hers. "I love you, Rita. And I promise that will never change."

"I know." Rita simply. "I know." And one day the sentiment would be returned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I know it's been a few years since the movie was released so I'm not expecting to get many hits. I appreciate anyone who does read my stories. I hope you enjoy them!


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